"Common Sense"
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
At his print shop here, Robert Bell published the first edition of Thomas Paine's revolutionary pamphlet in January 1776. Arguing for a republican form of government under a written constitution, it played a key role in rallying American support for independence.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In January 1776, at Robert Bell's print shop on this ground, the first edition of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" rolled off the press and into the hands of a colonial public still hesitant about breaking from Britain. Written in plain, fiery language, the pamphlet made the case for independence and a republic governed by a written constitution. It spread through the colonies with astonishing speed, selling in the tens of thousands and shifting public opinion just months before the Declaration of Independence.
Why it matters
Few printed works did more to turn colonial grievance into a movement for independence, making this a birthplace of the ideas that founded the United States.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial0.2 mi away
- Hill-Physick House0.3 mi away · 321 South 4th Street
- Powel House0.4 mi away · 244 South 3rd Street
- Merchants' Exchange Building0.5 mi away · 143 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Living History Center0.5 mi away
- Museum of the American Revolution0.6 mi away · 101 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- USS Becuna0.4 mi away · South Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
- USS Olympia0.4 mi away · South Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
- City Tavern0.5 mi away · 138 South 2nd Street
- First Bank of the United States0.5 mi away · 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Carpenters' Hall0.5 mi away · 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Second Bank of the United States0.6 mi away · 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Food & drink
- FRIEDA0.5 mi away · 320 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Olivier Cafe0.6 mi away · 50 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Buddakan0.6 mi away · 325 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Talula's Garden0.6 mi away · 210 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA
- Franklin Social0.6 mi away · 401 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Talula's Daily0.6 mi away · 208 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Philadelphia Marriott Old City0.4 mi away · 1 Dock Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Hilton Philadelphia at Penn's Landing0.4 mi away · 201 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA
- Thomas Bond House0.5 mi away · 129 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia
- Best Western Plus Independence Park Hotel0.6 mi away · 237 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels Philadelphia0.6 mi away · 32 South Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels0.6 mi away · 33 Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Thomas Paine
- · Robert Bell
Related events
- · Publication of Common Sense (1776)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Thaddeus Kosciuszko
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1967
Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a Polish-born military engineer whose fortifications helped the Continental Army win the Revolution, most famously at Saratoga and West Point. After the war he returned home to lead a doomed uprising for Polish independence, and when exile brought him back to America he lodged in this Philadelphia house in 1797–1798. Here he received visitors including Thomas Jefferson and drafted a will devoting his American assets to freeing and educating enslaved people.
Commodore John Barry (1745-1803)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2014
John Barry went to sea as a boy from Ireland and rose to command his own merchant ship in Philadelphia by his early twenties. During the Revolution he won a string of daring engagements, many along the Delaware River, and after independence President Washington named him the first commissioned officer of the new United States Navy, where he oversaw the building of its first frigates. Often called the 'Father of the American Navy,' he served until his death in 1803.
Tun Tavern
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2005
Near this spot stood Tun Tavern, a colonial Philadelphia public house that operated from 1693 until 1781 and, by tradition, served as the recruiting ground for the first battalions of Continental Marines. When the Continental Congress authorized two battalions of Marines on November 10, 1775, the fledgling corps drew its first volunteers here—a birthplace the Marine Corps still honors with its motto, Semper Fidelis.
Walnut Street Prison
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2008
Rising in Philadelphia during the Revolution, the Walnut Street Prison held a turbulent mix of humanity from 1775 to 1838 — common felons, debtors, captured British prisoners of war, and loyalist Tories alike. Its crowded cellblocks stretching from Walnut to Locust Street were the scene of repeated riots, but the institution also became a proving ground for early American ideas about punishment and reform. It was eventually superseded by the vast, radial Eastern State Penitentiary.